When you have pets at home, especially when your pets sleep with you (let's be honest, most pets do, at least occasionally), keeping your bed clean is more complicated. We're always looking for the best tips and tricks on how to keep our beds free from pet hair. Here are just a few that we've found useful.
Layer your fitted sheets
To do this, you need at least one waterproof mattress protector, more if you like, and two or three fitted sheets. Start with the waterproof protector, then a fitted sheet, then another waterproof protector if you have one, then another fitted sheet. We highly recommend using at least one waterproof protector – a mattress is expensive and there’s no better way to keep it free from your pet’s drool, urine, vomit, hair, and who knows what else than using a waterproof protector. Doesn’t this mean you end up using more sheets? On the one hand, yes. On the other, layering your sheets allows for easy and frequent changes and washes, therefore your bedding won’t get to the point where the stains won’t come off or a change is way overdue. It saves time when you need to change the sheets – just take the top layer off (plus the waterproof protector if you’re using multiples) and your bed is already made!
Use the "triple sheets method"
Triple sheeting is the method used in hotels to protect the bedding and make changing sheets easy and quick for just one person to do. Saves a lot of time, is much simpler than changing duvet covers every time, and keeps your bedding extra clean and pet-hair-free.
You need:
1 fitted sheet
2 flat sheets
1 blanket/comforter/duvet, ideally inside a duvet cover or blanket protector
How-to:
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Put the fitted sheet over your mattress. This is the bottom layer on which you’ll sleep.
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Put the flat sheet on top. Align the top of the flat sheet with the top of the mattress. Smooth it out. This layer is used to directly cover the sleeping person.
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Add an “inside layer” to your covers, which is the blanket encased in a protector. Leave a 6-inch gap between the top of the mattress and the top of the blanket.
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Put the second flat sheet on top of the blanket. Align the top of this sheet with the top of the mattress, just like you did with the first flat sheet.
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Fold both flat sheets over the top of the blanket. Don’t fold the blanket yet, just the sheets.
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Now, fold about 6 inches more of both the sheets and the blanket. This created a thick fold at the top of the bed and leaves enough space for placing the pillows.
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At the bottom of the mattress, tuck both flat sheets and the blanket. Then, along the sides of the mattress, pull the remaining loose parts of the flat sheets and the blanket as you keep tucking them along the sides. This will help smooth out any creases and keep the bottom part of your bedding layers neatly tucked.
Rotate decorative items on your bed
While decorative items may seem like yet another thing that needs cleaning and washing, they can effectively keep your bedding layers mostly free from pet hair. If your pet happened to throw up or pee on the bed, these might be the only items needing a change, instead of your entire bedding being soaked. It’s best if these items are thick or padded, so they won’t allow for much soaking through. Replace them as soon as you notice any stains or when they collected plenty of loose hair and don’t serve their function well anymore.
Groom your pets regularly
Make sure you brush your pets regularly as that helps remove the pet hair that’s about to fall out anyway and land on your sheets and furniture. Regular grooming also prevents hairball issues in pets. If you can, take your pet to a professional groomer for bathing and hair and claw trimming.
Find the cleaning method that works for you
Pet owners will try anything and everything to keep pet hair out of the bed. See what works for you and for the type of bedding you have: a big lint roller suitable for beds and furniture, a brush (try spraying with water or alcohol first, then brush the hair off), a rubber glove (like the ones you use for washing dishes), a vacuum with a brush attachment. Stick with one cleaning method or alternate them in between changing your bedsheets.
Invest in quality bedding
The benefits of high-quality bedding may not be obvious when all you do is change your bedding, again and again, to keep it clean. Quality bedding is not that expensive if we think of what it does. It's usually made of natural fabrics, which can have features such as being antistatic and antibacterial due to its source materials, such as bamboo or eucalyptus. High-quality fabrics usually have a higher thread count and tighter weave, which means less pet hair will be getting caught in them. That, in turn, makes the bedding easy to keep clean. Such bedding is also very durable, resistant to scratches, and won't be torn easily if your pet decides to show its claws or even teeth. Buying a few sets of high-quality bedding is an investment that will save you money in the long term. You can always start with one or two sets first and then replace the remaining old bedding one or a couple of sets at a time.
We hope these tips help you keep your bedding extra clean! And when it’s time to shop for new bedding, check out our bedding bundles, which are convenient and help you save even more when you purchase multiple items at once.